If you'd like to know why companies like Google are so intent on gaining access to your mobile phone, take a look at the research on "reality mining" that's being undertaken by an MIT team led by Sandy Pentland. In an interview with Technology Review, Pentland explains how modern cell phones provide a uniquely rich record not only of people's locations but of their actions, social behavior, and even social roles: Full Story »
Posted by Kaizar Campwala
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Yes. It opens a door to something I for one had not known to be possible to the degree shown in the story; it bears careful watching. I do not like the whole idea, even for research as it can be done deceptively. There is enough governmental and corporate deception already visited upon us. dci
This is a good overview of a complicated and important topic. "Mining" of data about individuals has been the holy grail of marketing and others for decades and this discussion of MIT's team's work brings it to a wider audience. Society needs to come to grips with this.
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